2 Chronicles 30:2

2Ch 30:2 For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the congregation in Jerusalem, to keep the passover in the second month.

Ver. 2. To keep the passover in the second month.] He knew that nunquam sero si serio. See Num 9:10. If we can but say, with Augustine, Nimis sero te amavi Domine, all shall do well.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ch 30:2. The king had taken counsel, &c. — The law directed that the passover should be celebrated on the fourteenth day of the first mouth: but as it was found impossible to get all things in readiness against that time, it was thought more advisable to adjourn it to the fourteenth day of the next month, than to defer it till the next year. And for this they had some encouragement, as it was allowed in the law, that in case any man was unclean by reason of a dead body, or was on a journey afar off, at the proper time of the celebration of the passover, he might eat it on the fourteenth day of the second mouth, Num 9:10-11. And what was an indulgence to particular persons, they judged, might be allowed to the whole congregation of Israel.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

30:2-3 a month later than usual: The law made provision for the delayed observance of the Passover if an individual inadvertently was ceremonially unclean or was away on a long journey (Num 9:9-11); Hezekiah’s Passover followed the spirit if not the letter of those provisions. The delayed Passover provided opportunity for national unity and spiritual renewal.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Though they ought to have done it in the first month, as Exod. 12:18; Num. 9:3, yet if any were not clean, or else had a long journey, they might defer it unto the second month, as Num. 9:10, 11.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 2. In the second month.] In Ijar, as they could not celebrate it in Nisan, the fourteenth of which month was the proper time. But as they could not complete the purgation of the temple, till the sixteenth of that month, therefore they were obliged to hold it now, or else adjourn it till the next year, which would have been fatal to that spirit of reformation which had now taken place. The law itself had given permission to those who were at a distance, and could not attend to the fourteenth of the first month, and to those who were accidentally defiled, and ought not to attend, to celebrate the passover on the fourteenth of the second month; see Nu 9:10-11. Hezekiah therefore, and his counsellors, thought that they might extend that to the people at large, because of the delay necessarily occasioned by the cleansing of the temple, which was granted to individuals in such cases as the above, and the result showed that they had not mistaken the mind of the Lord upon the subject.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(2) For the king had taken counsel.—And the king determined (2Ch_25:17). The resolution was taken by the king in council with his grandees and the popular representatives; apparently before the 14th of Nisan, which was the proper time for keeping the feast.

In the second month.—And not in the first month of the sacred year, as the law prescribes (Num_9:1-5). The grounds of the postponement are assigned in the next verse, viz., the legal impurity of many of the priests, and the non-arrival of the people at the proper time. The law permits postponement to the second month in such cases (Num_9:6-11). The first month was Nisan; Assyr., Nisdnu; the second, Iyyar; Assyr., Aru.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2. in the second month] The Law allowed such a postponement; cp. Num_9:10-11.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the congregation in Jerusalem,.... He and his nobles, and the great sanhedrim or senate of the nation, had consulted together:

to keep the passover in the second month; in the month Ijar, as the Targum, because they could not keep it in the first month, as it should have been kept, according to the law of God, for the reasons following.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

In the second month - Hezekiah and his counselors considered that the permission of the Law (see the marginal reference) might, under the circumstances, be extended to the whole people. It had been found impossible to complete the cleansing of the temple until the fourteenth day of the first month was past 2Ch 29:17. It was, therefore, determined to defer it to the 14th of the second month, which allowed time for the priests generally to purify themselves, and for proclamation of the festival to be made throughout all Israel.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Month. The Rabbins pretend that the king intercalated the second Adar, contrary to the rule and advice of the wise, and the that he ought to have allowed those who were pure to celebrate the feast in due time. Selden, Syn. ii. 1. --- But the Caraite Jews deny this pretended leap-year; and we see that Ezechias acted according to the advice of the princes, and that the Scripture praises his conduct. C. --- Those who had a lawful impediment, were authorized to put off the feast till the second month, Num. ix. 10. The nation was under this predicament, as they had not priests at hand, (T.) nor were they assembled. D.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Which was against the common rule and practice, but was justified by that supreme law of necessity, and by a just impediment, which made the doing of this in its proper time, to wit, the fourteenth day of the first month, impossible, because the temple was not cleansed nor they prepared till that time was past, 2Ch 29:3,17. Compare Num 9:10,11.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

2, 3.

To keep the passover in the second month — The law expressly allowed those to keep the passover in the second month who, for special reasons, were unable to keep it in the first. Those reasons were uncleanness by reason of a dead body, and absence on a journey afar off. See Num_9:10-11. At that time, that is, in the first month, both these reasons, virtually, prevented most of the nation from holding the passover, because the priests had not sanctified themselves sufficiently, neither had the people gathered themselves together to Jerusalem. So the priests were ceremonially unclean, and the people were absent.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

This and the following verse are well explained by Num_9:6-13, where the particular instance of the "defilement by a dead body" simply exemplified other legitimate instances of defilement or non-sanctification, (2Ch_29:5, 2Ch_29:15, 2Ch_29:34) and where absence on a journey similarly exemplified other unavoidable absence.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Second month - Which was against the common rule, but the doing of this in its proper time, namely, the fourteenth day of the first month was impossible, because the temple was not cleansed, nor they prepared. As there was a proviso in the law, that particular persons who were unclean in the first month, might keep the passover the fourteenth day of the second month, he doubted not but that might be extended by the whole congregation.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

second month

i.e. May; 2Ch 30:13; 2Ch 30:15.

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.